Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Mayor Marc Tartaro says city departments facing projected 13 to 15 percent budget cuts.
A vote to set the city property tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year failed last night before the Hyattsville City Council. The failure to set the tax rate came as some members of the city council said that they needed more information about the next year's budget before they could vote on the tax rate. Mayor Marc Tartaro had introduced a measure to set the city's property tax rate at 63 cents per $100 of assessed property value. That's the same property tax rate the city has had since 2005 when it was raised from 58 cents per $100 of assessed property value. In the end, supporters of the tax measure could not muster the six votes necessary to set the property tax rate. Tartaro, Council President Matt McKnight (Ward 3), Council Vice …
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
A rundown of all the action from last night's Hyattsville City Council meeting.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
A look at the 2012 attendance records of each member of the Hyattsville City Council.
Absenteeism on the Hyattsville City Council has been an issue for some time. The city council as a whole had an average 78 percent attendance rate in 2012. Last night, the effects of absenteeism from the city's elected leaders manifested itself in its most basic form: a lack of a quorum. As you may now by now, the Hyattsville City Council needs at least six members to conduct business. Last night, the city council only had five members in attendance. This meant that the city council couldn't, per the city charter, hold any discussion of city business, and delayed any official progress on building a consensus for how to proceed with the University Hills Green Street project. Absenteeism was also a factor during a March 2012 meeting which …
Monday, March 25, 2013
The only topic scheduled for discussion at tonight's Hyattsville City Council meeting is the University Hills Green Streets project.
The Hyattsville City Council will be meeting tonight to discuss how to proceed on the University Hills Green Streets Project, a proposed overhaul of the University Hills streetscape which could add new pavement, sidewalks and storm water drainage improvements throughout the northern Hyattsville neighborhood. The meeting will feature a public comment period, followed by a council discussion on the matter. Headed to the meeting? Brush up on the history of the project by browsing through Hyattsville Patch's recent coverage of the University Hills streetscape debate.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Dealing with dictators, refugees and the Vatican, Ward 4 council candidate brings unique experiences to Hyattsville campaign.
Hyattsville's newest candidate for City Council, Ward 4 resident Edouard Haba, said he hopes to bring new perspectives and a diversity of opinions to the council dais if elected. It would be a perspective shaped by a childhood in the West African nation of Guinea, a young adulthood in Rome, and now, as a young father of a family living in Hyattsville. "Living in different countries has left me with an understanding of how to deal with diverse people," said Haba, who speaks with a light French accent, in an interview. "This is a very diverse city, and it would be nice to see that reflected in the city council, to give a voice to this diversity. Haba said he decided to run over the last two weeks as he watched and waited for another Ward 4 …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
City Council sets two anticipated public hearings, talks OPEB, welcomes new Public Works Director.
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Sunday, March 17, 2013
Mayor Marc Tartaro proposes special work session to discuss street improvements in University Hills.
The Hyattsville City Council will consider holding a special work session on Monday, March 25, to discuss a proposed overhaul of the University Hills streetscape. The streets project, which has proven controversial among some residents who are opposed to sidewalks on their blocks, was tentatively slated for discussion at the March 18 council meeting. But Mayor Marc Tartaro's motion asking for the special work session said that the delay would allow more time for council deliberations and more time for additional comments from residents. Hyattsville's elected leaders are tasked with determining the scope of the proposed project. A key hurdle to overcome is which streets in the neighborhood will be getting sidewalks. But the project, if …
Monday, March 4, 2013
Decision needed on how to move forward with controversial streetscape improvement project.
Tonight, the Hyattsville City Council will be discussing how to proceed with proposed improvements to the University Hills streetscape. A timeline laid out in a presentation to be delivered before the city council at tonight's meeting has the city council charting a course of acting by the end of this month. If adhered to, the timeline would see the city council approve a final design by December 2013, with construction potentially done by September 2014. Proposals to add sidewalks along streets in the neighborhood have proven controversial, with a vocal contingent of residents voicing their displeasure with the plan at a number of community meetings held to address the project, At tonight's meeting, the Hyattsville City Council will also…
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Jefferson Street resident Clayton Williams registers campaign for Hyattsville City Council seat.
Ward 5 residents have one more city council candidate to consider, 3611 Jefferson Street resident Clayton Williams, in the race to fill the ward's two council seats up for grabs in this May's Hyattsville council elections. Williams, who registered on Thursday afternoon, will be running against fellow ward resident Joseph Solomon, though how dire the stakes are for either candidate depends on if another soul decides to enter the Ward 5 race. This is because Ward 5 residents will be casting ballots for two candidates, one to fill the four year vacancy left by the impending retirement of longtime ward representative Ruth Ann Frazier, the second to fill the two years remaining on the now vacant term of former Ward 5 Councilor Nicole Hinds …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Council to send letter outlining concerns, conditions for support to county planners.
After three meetings, the Hyattsville City Council finally weighed in on a proposed rezoning of the Kiplinger property which would open up the area to a high density, mixed-use, transit oriented redevelopment in the future. The city council unanimously approved a motion to send a letter to the Prince George's Planning Board of the Maryland National-Capital Area Parks and Planning Commission outlining concerns and a series of provisions upon which the city council's support of the rezoning would be predicated. The letter states that the city believes there will be a significant impact on local schools if the property is redeveloped as depicted in conceptual site plans submitted with the rezoning application, and asks future developers to …
Jim Groves
8:18 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
BigDan, again, you are so quick to bitch about things changing but you seem to forget how it was. Was Rt. 1 really better when it was big EMPTY Lustine parking lot and nasty little stores with nothing behind them? Really, that's was better? Why would you go down Jefferson to get on Rt. 1 if you are going to get gas? Why wouldn't you go up by DeMatha and go through town. Don't blame your lack of … more ›